Socket for incandescent electric lamps.



G. B. MGBEAN'.

SOCKET FOB; INGANDESGENT ELECTRIC APPLICATION TILED MAY 18, 1907.

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y j w & L M w 4* 11 o w M w 9 flz barre earns EPAEN'I cl rion GEORGE B. McBEAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SOCKET FOB INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS.

noieoenei.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, mos.

Application filed May 18, 1907. Serial No. 374,433.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. MoBEAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sockets for Incandescent Electric Lamps, of which the'following is a specification. This invention relates to sockets for incandescent electric lamps, and relates particularly to the type of socket known to the trade as weatherproof sockets, which are especially designed and adapted for outdoor use and in which the electrical connections are scaled up bymeans of noncondueting, waterproof cement or wax to prevent access thereto of moisture which would be liable to cause leakage or short circuiting. Certain features of my improvements, however, admit of general application to open as well as to weatherproof sockets.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the universal practice has been to attach the shells of the sockets, both of? the open and weatherproof types, to their supporting bases only by means of screws, rivets or the like. As is well known, said shells are commonly screw threaded to receive the screw threaded bases of the lamps and form one of the lamp terminals, bein commonly and preferab y made of thin s lieetcop er and, consequently, very soft. Due to t e short engaging surfaces between said attaching screws and shells, it is found in practice that said shells are quite frequently torn by said attaching screws and rendered worthless by the strains to which they are subjected in screwing the lamps into the same.

Oneobject of my invention is to prevent the tearing of said shells in this manner and to this end my invention consists in providing long interlocking surfaces between said shells and their supporting bases, independent of the attaching screws, whereby the strain due to screwing in the lamps will be so distributed that it will not be great enough at a given point to tear said shells.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a weatherproof socket, the shell of which may be removed and'replaced independently of and without in any way affecting the other parts of the socket, thus providing for quickly and conveniently renews ing a socket the sl cll'of which has been stripped or burned out; and, in a weather proof socket, to provide means for interlocking the button attached to the shell. and which forms the insulating support for the contacts for connecting thelamp terminals with the lead wires, with the supportingbase so, as to relieve the lead wires from all strain to which they would be subjected by turn ing of said button relatively to said supporting base and obviating all liability ofsaid lead wires being broken or disconnected from this cause. I 1 v 1 To effect the object of the invention, as it relates to providing a socket in which the shell may be removed and replaced independently of and without in any way afiect, ing the other parts of the socket, the button which forms the insulating support for the contacts for connecting the lamp terminals with the lead wires is secured to the outer surface of the; rear end of said shell by means accessible inside of said shell and separate from the means for securing said button to the supporting base of the socket.

To effect the objects of the invention, as it relates to means for interlocking the button attached to the shell with the supporting base, said button is provided with a rib or embedded in the cement or wax used for sealing said socket, thus interlocking said button with the supporting base and effectually preventing relative turning of said button and base. Obviously, when said button is secured inside of the shell, it will be neces: sary to form a suitable holeor opening in the rear end of said shell in order that the rib or projection on said button may project at the rear end of said shell to provide for interlocking the same with the cement or wax used for sealing the socket.

The invention also consists of the various other features, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, in which my invention is fully illustrated,,Figure 1 is a front view of a weatherproof socket of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of thesupporting base. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views on the lines 3,3 and 44, re

pro ection on its rear surface, which will be I spectively, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a rear view of the button attached to the rear end of the shell.

-Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates the supporting base of a weatherproof socket made of porcelain or other suitable insulating material, which is adapted to be secured in desired osition by screws inserted throu h holes 2 t erein and which com rises a tu ular portion 3 the bore of whic isoidapted to receive the shell 4 so as to 5 inclose said shell andprotect the same from the weather, all in a familiar manner. JQhe usual interior shoulders 5 on the tubular section 3 of the base define the position of the ehell 4 therein and afford a rigid support thereor. i

To provide for removing and replacing the shell 4 independently of other parts of the socket, as should said shell become stripped or burned out, the button 6, which is made of suitable insulating material, as porcelain, and which forms an insulating support for the electrical contacts for connecting the lamp terminals with the lead wires 7, instead of being secured inside of said shell, in the manner heretofore common, is attached to the rear end of said shell b suitable means which admit of being readil; disen aged, as by screws 8 and 9 the heads of whic are exposed within said shell. As shown, the contacts for connecting the lamp terminals with ,the lead wires 7 consist of an attaching screw, as 8, and acentral binding screw 10, the rear or inner end of the shell 4 being cut away, as shown at 11, to prevent said binding screw 10 i'romcontacting with said. shell, whi h would cause a short circuit. To further insure against short circuiting, a boss 1.2 is formed on the button 6 through which the binding screw 10 passes and Which projects a desire distance through the hole or opening 11 in the rear end of said shell.

The button 6, and through it, the shell 4, are adapted to be securedin position within the bore of the tubular portion 3 of the sup porting base 1 by means of the lead wires 7, which as shown, extend out through lateral openings 13 in said supportin base, and by the cement or wax 14 used or sealing the socket against the weather, said cement or s 1 through aisuitable hole therein, as at 15,

and a suflicient quantity of cement or wax being used to entirelyfill said cavity, thus rendering the entire structure rigid. With this construction, it is obvious that the button 6 will form, in effect, a part of the supporting base 1 and, the heads of the attaching screws 8 and 9 being exposed at the inside of the shell 4, that, by removing said screws, said shell may be detached and replaced without afiecting other parts of the socket. A particular feature of my im roved socket, Whether of the open or weatherproof type, consists in forming shoulders 16 on the button 6, or in the case of an 0 en socket, directly on the sup orting ase, which are adapted to bev close y engaged by the edges of a hole or o ening in the rear end of the shell 4, as srown, the hole 11 65 through which the contact screw extends.

wax being poured intoithe cavity in the base Said shell will thus be interlocked with its supporting member and held from turning re atively thereto by long engaging surfaces,.which will operate to so distribute the a strain due to screwing the lamps in and out as to eliminate all danger of the shell being torn either by said shoulders or the attaching screws 8 and 9.

As a further improvement in weatherroof sockets, I form a rib 17 ont'he rear side of the button 6, which will be embedded in the sealing cement or wax 14 when the cavity in the shell is filled, said rib being so arranged that, with said cement or wax, it will operate to interlock said button with. $0 the supporting base 1 against relative turn ing, thus obviatin all danger of breaking or disconnecting the lead wires 7 by said button turning in said base. As shown, said rib extends between the attaching screws 8 and 9 and the central binding screw 10, thus also operating to effectually insulate them from each other.

i I claim:--

1. As a new article of manufacture, a socket for an incandescent electric lamp, comprising an attaching base having a tubular section and a shell secured therein, a button attached to said shell forming an insulating support for the contacts for connecting the lamp terminals with the lead wires, the cavity in said base in the rear of said shell being filled with sealing cement, and a rib on the rear surface'of said button adapted 1 to be embedded in the sealing cement or wax and arranged ,to form therewith means for interlocking said shell with said base to prevent relative turning thereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a socket for an incandescent electric lamp, com rising an attaching base having a tubu -ar section and a shell secured therein,

a button attached to said shell forming an insulating su port for the contacts for connecting the amp terminals with the lead wires, the cavity in said base in the rear of said shell being filled with sealing cement, and a rib on the rear surface of said button which extends between said contacts for insulating them from each other, adapted to be embedded in the sealing cement or wax and arranged to form therewith means for interlocking said shell with said base to prevent relative turning thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a socket'for an incandescent electric lamp, comprising an attaching base having a tubular section and a shclltherein, a button attached to said shell forming an insulating support for the contacts for connecting the lamp terminals with the lead wires, said button being provided with a shoulder which interlocks with a corresponding hole in said shell to prevent relative turning thereof, the cavity in said base in the rear of said shell being filled with sealing cement, and a Ilb on the reel surl'eee' 01' said lnitton adapted to be embedded in. the sealing ment or Wax and arranged to form fliG'i'G- With means for interlocking said shell with comprising a supporting base, a button,

means for securing said but-ton to sehl hfise, a shell and indepei'ident means fer detach;-

turning thereof.

ably securing said shell to tile enter sm'lmre of sehlbnt'tcn, said means being accessible *0 in n ipuletion inside of said shell, whereby :"I x'. sneil may he removed and replaced out effecting other parts of the socket.

testimony, that i. claim the foregoing e" invention, I efix my signature in ee of two subscribing Witnesses, this cf May, A. D. 1907.

GEORGE B. MOBEAN.

Witnesse Y COSTELLO, iliCGRAC H. 

